Side Story Chapter 30: A True Dragon’s Twilight!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
It was golden autumn of the tenth month, and the scent of osmanthus flowers wafted through the air. All throughout the Imperial Palace, one could see their golden flowers, and even from afar, one could smell that refreshing scent. It was a scent that would linger in one’s memories for some time.
In the chill of the night, in the serene Taiji Palace…
“Your Majesty, you just took your medicine. You should rest a little,” Eunuch Li worriedly said, supporting the Tang Emperor as he tried to rise from his bed.
“No, there are still a few memorials…” Ka! Ka! “…to review.”
The Tang Emperor took the fur coat offered by Eunuch Li, coughing as he spoke. It was not winter, but the Tang Emperor already needed to put on a fur coat. This was a sign of just how weak he was.
Eunuch Li said nothing, but concern was plainly written on his face.
Besides presiding over court, the Tang Emperor also had to review memorials in Taiji Palace every day. Before Ü-Tsang’s defeat, there had been neither too many nor too few memorials, but after that victory, and after the victory against the Turks, Taiji Palace was assailed by a snowstorm of memorials.
Who was the proper candidate to assume office on the border?
How should the war spoils, the livestock and horses, be distributed?
There were even memorials waxing poetic on the beauty of the frontier, and after reading these lengthy and eloquent essays, the Tang Emperor would have to calmly give a reply.
It was truly miserable!
Cough, cough!At this moment, the Tang Emperor suddenly frowned and began to heavily cough.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Eunuch Li panicked, trying to help the Tang Emperor breathe while also offering him a cup of warm water.
Normally, after taking some warm water, the Tang Emperor would quickly stop coughing, but now, the Emperor coughed even more fiercely, as if there was no stopping it.
Suddenly, Eunuch Li’s eyes flew open, his pupils constricting as he realized something.
On the golden-threaded bedding was a sliver of scarlet that triggered a reaction from Eunuch Li.
“Servants, come here! Come here at once!”
Eunuch Li’s voice resounded through Taiji Palace.
It wasn’t long before the Imperial Palace was beset by a massive turmoil.
For a moment, the palace was in a panic.
Although the Imperial Palace appeared calm on the surface, the Princes all friendly and harmonious, everyone knew that an undercurrent was beginning to stir.
……
Taptaptap!
As news spread that the Emperor had collapsed from illness, a thin and erect figure stepped into Taiji Palace amidst hurried footsteps.
“Third Highness.”
Li Taiyi simply waved his hand, indicating that the eunuchs and maids should rise, after which he went up to the Emperor’s bedside.
The Tang Emperor was sitting up in bed and had seemingly just taken some medicine. Eunuch Li was in the middle of taking the bowl from him.
Glancing at Li Taiyi, the Tang Emperor mumbled a few words. “Normally, it’s difficult to see all of you together. Today is a good day, as all of you are here.”
Li Taiyi was confused at first, but he quickly spotted the others in front of the Emperor’s bed and understood.
Li Taiyi’s mother, Virtuous Empress Dou, was worriedly sitting next to the bed, and behind her were several other worried consorts. Most importantly, several familiar figures were standing in front of the bed.
First Prince Li Xuantu, Second Prince Li Chengyi, and Fourth Prince Li Longfan were all present.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Moreover, everyone understood that the Tang Emperor was joking about how all of them were usually struggling against each other, but now that he had fallen ill, they had finally come to see him together.
The mood became rather strange.
When it was at its quietest, a warm and compassionate voice spoke. “Your Majesty, the Princes are all adults now and normally spend their time assisting Your Majesty with various matters. If they had time to meet, it would mean that they were not earnestly carrying out the tasks Your Majesty assigned them and being lazy; is that not so?”
The speaker was none other than Li Taiyi’s mother, Virtuous Empress Dou.
Virtuous Empress Dou was heavily favored by the Tang Emperor, and the Empress Consort had died several years ago. It could be said that Virtuous Empress Dou was the person of highest status within the harem.
Besides that, this was not considered an ‘important matter of state’.
With Virtuous Empress Dou smoothing things over, the atmosphere in Taiji Palace became much more relaxed.
“Is that so? All of you are quite thoughtful, then.”
The Tang Emperor did not linger on this topic, patting Virtuous Empress Dou’s fair hand as he spoke.
Though he had not explicitly said anything, all the Princes understood what the Emperor meant.
These words would normally be spoken to the Princes, but the Tang Emperor wasn’t even looking at them, not even out of the corner of his eyes. He was instead speaking to Virtuous Empress Dou.
He was clearly implying that he understood the petty thoughts of his sons, but he would not say anything about it. Moreover, despite being his sons, they showed less consideration than his consorts.
Li Xuantu came forward. “So long as Imperial Father remains healthy, your sons are willing to work themselves to the bone.” He spoke respectfully, but he shot a glance at Li Taiyi.
Virtuous Empress Dou was Li Taiyi’s mother, and the Emperor favored Li Taiyi because of her. One could see the influence Virtuous Empress Dou wielded simply through how a few words from her could lighten the mood.
“Mm, your consideration is enough.”
The Emperor looked at Li Xuantu and nodded, satisfaction in his eyes.
He had always been rather satisfied with the First Prince.
On the other end, Li Taiyi frowned, sensing that something was off.
The Tang Emperor was getting on in years, and he would frequently get colds. Thus, whenever Li Taiyi was summoned when the Tang Emperor was reviewing memorials, he would often smell the faint scent of medicine. And during the Spring Rain Banquet, the Emperor had suffered a light coughing fit from drinking too much wine.
But no matter how badly he coughed, he would never cough out blood. Li Taiyi recalled that while the Tang Emperor lacked in cultivation, he still had five or six years left in his life. He should have never been in such a grave state.
Li Taiyi felt like things were more complicated than they seemed.
After pondering the matter for a long time, Li Taiyi finally spoke. “Imperial Father, you normally cultivate, and your body is robust and healthy. Why is it that today, all of a sudden…”
But before he could finish, Virtuous Empress Dou interrupted him with a light cough.
Li Taiyi looked over and saw his mother solemnly shaking her head at him. Her eyes were clearly rebuking him, telling him that he should not so casually bring up this question.
The Emperor patted Virtuous Empress Dou to indicate that he didn’t care, and then said to Li Taiyi, “It is fine. The imperial physician says that it is a latent illness from my early years. It simply needs to be resolved.”
“Your son was overthinking things.” Li Taiyi bowed and said no more.
Everyone began to exchange their well wishes, after which everyone left, leaving behind Virtuous Empress Dou to look after the Emperor.
Outside of Taiji Palace, Li Taiyi watched Li Xuantu and the others leave, his heart turning grave.
When the twilight of the true dragon arrived, the Princes would contend against each other!
Li Taiyi sensed that someone was manipulating events from behind the scenes, worsening his father’s illness to intensify the conflict between the Princes.
If this was true, then the perpetrator was far too bold!
A chilling light flashed in Li Taiyi’s eyes.
“Gao Lishi, get in touch with Eunuch Li for me. Besides that, try and get your hands on a serving of Imperial Father’s medicine.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
……
It was late at night, and the bright moon and stars shone over the serene darkness of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince’s residence.
The entire Eastern Palace was surrounded by Golden Guards and countless experts, making the place a veritable fortress.
On the roof of the Eastern Palace, a middle-aged man in a violet robe sat cross-legged, observing the world.
Li Xuantu had been Crown Prince for seven or eight years now, and he had numerous capable subordinates under his command. This violet-robed fortune teller was one of them. In the martial arts world, he was called the Ultimate Violet Master. He was extremely revered as a luminary of divination.
First Prince Li Xuantu had gone to great lengths to obtain his services, and he had a great deal of respect for the man.
The Ultimate Violet Master’s predictions were extremely accurate. In truth, whether it was in the palace struggles or the campaigns against the Turks, the Ultimate Violet Master had played a crucial role.
It was only natural for fortune tellers to observe the stars at night.
For the Ultimate Violet Master, observing the stars like this every night had become as routine as breathing.
“Mm?”
Suddenly, the Ultimate Violet Master sensed something, his eyebrow rising as he raised his head and peered into the darkness.
In the dark night, an ordinary person could not see much, but the Ultimate Violet Master was extraordinary.
A few moments later, star after star began to appear in the darkness, radiating a hazy purple light, like a violet nebula.
If one looked carefully, in the center of these five ‘violet’ stars, an even brighter violet star twinkled. It was as if those ‘violet’ stars were borrowing the light of this one.
The middle-aged man carefully counted and found that there were exactly five stars around this violet star, no more and no less. Each occupied its own area and was surrounded by a purple cloud, making them seem like blooming flowers.
“The five stars escorting, the Ziwei reappears!”
The Ultimate Violet Master shuddered, shock in his eyes.
He immediately glanced to the right, where two other stars exuding violet light hung in the sky.
The somewhat larger violet star had a dimming light. This represented the seriously ill Tang Emperor. As for the slightly smaller, yet more dazzling star, it represented Li Xuantu, who had long ago been made Crown Prince.
The Tang Emperor still reigned, and there was already a Crown Prince. So why had the Ziwei reappeared?
Moreover, that bright violet star was clearly not Li Xuantu’s. Could it be…
“A shift in the heavens! A shift in the heavens! …I must report to the Crown Prince!”
The Ultimate Violet Master rushed down the roof and to the First Prince’s bedroom, his face pale.
……
At the same time, in the imperial observatory of the Imperial Palace, a white-haired elder stared in shock at the night sky. He was muttering to himself, the brush in his hand dripping ink onto the paper in front of him.
……
As the sun rose in the east, when the people were still in bed, a shift in the heavens decreed that the Great Tang would experience its own shift and would enter an autumn of many troubles.
Through his performances at Longxi and at the Yin Mountains, the prodigal son, the Third Prince, had finally won the Tang Emperor’s trust.
The Tang Emperor formally decreed that the Third Prince was permitted to enter the court and participate in debates!